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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480076">Salt Water Kisses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninalevee/pseuds/ninalevee'>ninalevee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Overwatch (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adopted Jesse McCree, Adopted Sombra, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bottom Hanzo Shimada, Depression, Established Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Eventual Sex, Gabe and Jack are Dads, Hanzo has a penis and a vagina, Human Gabriel Reyes, Human Jack, I wouldn't call it slow burn exactly, Implied Mpreg, Interspecies Sex, Jesse McCree Speaks Spanish, Latino Jesse McCree, M/M, MerMay, Merman Hanzo, Merperson Hanzo Shimada, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Top Jesse McCree, Young Jesse McCree/Young Hanzo Shimada, medium burn?, no graphic childbirth tho, this was supposed to be a long oneshot but turned into a multi chapter fic, with some of ow's futuristic background mixed in</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:15:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480076</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninalevee/pseuds/ninalevee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Depressed from losing his prized motorcycle along with his left arm, Jesse attempts suicide during a storm, hesitates, and catches a glimpse of something in the water.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>108</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lightning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TRIGGER WARNINGS: Attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts, and depression in this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was dark, but the night was alive, clapping with thunder, blazing white with streaks of lightning, and Jesse could hear the angry waves crashing against the shore up ahead as he trudged barefoot on the sidewalk. The heavy rain had long since soaked his red tank top and grey sweats, unprotected by his lack of an umbrella. He didn’t even have a jacket. All Jesse McCree could do against the howling wind was shiver violently in his clinging wet clothes, but he didn’t care. This discomfort would only be temporary. He wouldn’t need socks, or a jacket, or an umbrella where he was going.</p>
<p>He would soon be dead.</p>
<p>When the concrete of the sidewalk met the sand of the beach, Jesse’s feet carried him off the solid ground and sank into soggy grains. More of it stuck to his skin with every step he took.</p>
<p>The beach had no lights of its own, leaving the weak beam coming from Jesse’s phone flashlight his only guide in the pitch-black darkness. He glanced over his shoulder at the street lamps lining the sidewalk. They were like hazy balls of fairy lights against the downpour, growing smaller the further he walked. Jesse looked forward again, certain that if it weren’t for his phone, he wouldn’t be able to see his own hand in front of him.</p>
<p>The salty spray hit his face, but Jesse didn’t stop until his chilled feet met the just-as-freezing water. Before he could so much as gasp, a wave rolled right into his chest, forcing him to stumble backwards, <em>and</em> splashing him with even more icy water. When Jesse had set out, he knew the water would have been cold, but not <em>this</em> cold. Even his brain was convinced that his missing left arm was filled with just as many pins and needles as the rest of his body.</p>
<p>Damn phantom sensations. It was as though Jesse’s own body was mocking him, rubbing the loss in his face, but it was always the worst in the mornings when he’d wake up feeling complete and whole, only for reality to catch up once his mind shook off the haze of sleep, and he stretched his arms to find a stump where his left should be.</p>
<p>Gabe, Jack, Olivia, and Dr. Ziegler had all tried to encourage him, saying that things were tough now, but would improve with time and effort; to not give up; that he could still do things that brought him joy. But they might as well have been yelling across a great chasm, since their words had always sounded distant and faint to Jesse. His beloved motorcycle, the one he had owned since his eighteenth birthday three years ago, had been totaled in the accident. Gabe and Jack had promised to buy him a new one as soon as he was well enough to ride, but the scars were still too fresh, stitches removed too recently, for Jesse to be thinking optimistically. In Jesse’s mind, he would never be fit to ride again, period.</p>
<p>That’s why he was at the beach this stormy night, soaked to the bone, shivering, teeth chattering, and fighting against chest-high waves. However, even now, a small part of the rational side of Jesse’s mind broke through the depressive insanity, and made him contemplate if he was sure about dying tonight. He thought of how devastated his dads and sister would be, but he also thought of how terrified he himself would be while drowning, instinctively gasping for air once he couldn’t hold his breath anymore, only to swallow salt water and have it burning in his nose and lungs. Drowning was not a quick death.</p>
<p>Maybe there was a chance he could get struck by lightning in this weather? Might be faster. Or would he feel pain for one whole second?</p>
<p>“The hell?”</p>
<p>Jesse moved his phone light around as best he could while bracing against the hammering waves. He’d just heard something that wasn’t a wave or thunder clap. Something was moving in the water.</p>
<p>
  <em>Splash.</em>
</p>
<p>Jesse’s imagination ran wild as the encompassing darkness seemed to shrink in on him and his feeble light.</p>
<p>
  <em>Splash, splash.</em>
</p>
<p>No, no, Jesse tried reasoning with himself, sea monsters weren’t real and there was no way it could be a shark.</p>
<p>Right?</p>
<p>
  <em>SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH.</em>
</p>
<p>Oh God, it sounded closer—</p>
<p>A flash of lightning lit up the area. Jesse saw a pale face surrounded by dark seaweed looking up at him from the water. He cried out and sloshed back to shore as fast as he could while being weighed down by his soggy sweats. A series of rapid splashes sounded behind Jesse as soon as he turned his back on the face, but he didn’t dare glance back. The splashes either meant his yelling scared the creature way, or it was chasing him.</p>
<p>“YEAAARGH!”</p>
<p>Jesse felt something soft and slimy wrap around his ankle. It clung to him all the way back to shore. He swung down his left arm, until he remembered—FUCK! It was just a stump, and his right hand was holding the phone, his only torch!</p>
<p>He didn’t even feel the cold as much as he did before, not with his adrenalin pumping full force, propelling him all the way back to the lit sidewalk. Only then, panting like mad, did Jesse stop and look down at his ankle.</p>
<p>Kelp. It was a piece of fucking kelp.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First fic in years. Let's see if I remember how to do this. While not my first fanfic, this is my first time posting to AO3, so it feels great being able to shake off the cobwebs! Anyway, I already have the general plot of this fic written down, I just need to work out the execution. I'm hoping to have the next chapter posted next week. Stay safe and healthy, readers.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Search</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>-Entire dialogue sentences in italics implies that the characters are speaking in a different language.<br/>-I should note that Jesse and Olivia/Sombra are closer in age than they are in canon, so instead of being seven years apart, they are only three years apart.</p><p>Man, did this chapter go through some growing pains. When I posted the first chapter, I already had the second chapter ready, but in its original form, it ended after Jesse thought of the word "mermaid." I wondered if I could combine some of the ideas I had for Chapter 3 with Chapter 2 to make a single long chapter, so the story's progression wouldn't be too slow. It wasn't easy, and it took a lot of rewriting to shape it into something I was satisfied with it, but I did it! Hopefully this didn't end up feeling too rushed, but if it did, please do give me some constructive criticism.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No sooner had Jesse thrown away the kelp when a familiar blue car pulled up. Sure enough, Gabe jumped out from the driver’s side, wide-eyed and clad in a black hoodie and jeans.</p><p>“Jesse!” he gasped before engulfing his son in a hug. It was warm, so Jesse’s shivering body gladly welcomed it.</p><p>Gabe’s relief, however, quickly morphed into anger. He was so flustered that he could only speak Spanish, but Jesse understood every word.</p><p><em>“What the hell are you doing out here in this weather?”</em> yelled Gabe as he shook Jesse by the shoulders. <em>“Get your ass in the car, now!”</em></p><p>Jesse did not resist as he was shoved into the passenger’s side. After such a scare, he didn’t feel like dying anymore. All he wanted now was a hot shower and warm bed. More than ever, he felt grateful for Gabe’s knack of being prepared for nearly every situation (thanks to his and Jack’s service with the military). Gabe had a towel ready for Jesse, which the latter quickly wrapped around himself while the former cranked up the heater, but then came the unpleasant part when Gabe started driving. He repeated his question of “what the hell” Jesse had been up to in the storm. Jesse tried to come up with a plausible excuse, but he knew Gabe was no fool; Gabe was already onto him.</p><p>“Jesse, I don’t want you to stay in another hospital, but if you pull shit like that again, then we <em>will</em> send you to a place where you can get professional help,” said Gabe, able to speak English now. His voice was stern, but also showed signs of worry. Keeping his eyes on the road, he put a hand on Jesse’s shoulder while continuing to steer with the other.</p><p>“We want to help you, <em>mijo</em>, but we won’t know how if you don’t tell us anything,” he continued.</p><p>Jesse tilted his head down in guilt. In his heart, he knew Gabe’s words to be true. So why did he always shut himself up in the end?</p><p>Gabe squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.</p><p>“Look, I’m not going to force you to talk. Just know your family is here for you whenever you’re ready to do so. You can trust Dr. Ziegler, too. She’s very professional and won’t make you feel as though you’re being judged,” said Gabe.</p><p>Feeling a lump in his throat, Jesse kept his gaze down and only trusted himself to croak out, “Thanks,” without sounding weepy.</p><p>The rest of the drive was silent, except for the radio music and the windshield wipers sweeping back and forth. Only when they pulled up to the driveway of their house and parked in the garage, did Jesse speak again, feeling he had a better handle on his emotions.</p><p>“Gabe…” he began, actually looking at his dad this time, “I’m sorry.”</p><p>Gabe reached over to squeeze his shoulder again.</p><p>“I’m just glad you’re safe, <em>mijo</em>. Go let Jack and Olivia know you’re home before showering, all right?”</p><p>Jesse nodded.</p><p>Jack was sitting on the couch in the living room when Jesse entered the house. He rose from his seat with a start before wrapping Jesse in a hug. Judging by the way Jack hadn’t bothered to fix his bedhead, Jesse was right in guessing that his other dad was too tired to lecture him now (plus Jack trusted Gabe had already taken care of that).</p><p>Olivia came out of her room upon hearing Jesse’s voice, wearing a purple sweater over her night shirt. She was third to hug him that evening (or very early morning, Jesse wasn’t sure). He yelped when she slapped him on the back with a great thump loud enough for their dads to hear. Without apologizing, Olivia promptly called Jesse a <em>pendejo</em> for scaring everyone shitless the way he did. Jesse couldn’t argue back, because—now that he’d been snapped out of his suicidal insanity—he agreed.</p><p>After his shower, Jesse blow-dried his hair so he could crawl into bed sooner, but even with the warmth of the covers making him sleepy, Jesse’s mind wandered back to the pale face he’d seen in the water, almost stark white compared to the dark grey ocean surrounding it. Sure, his imagination had been replaying several horror movie scenarios at the time, and part of himself insisted the face had just been a trick of the mind, but the image wouldn’t leave him alone. <em>Why</em> had there been a face in the ocean?</p><p>A swimmer? Yeah, right… No sane person would go for a swim in such a bad storm. Unless they really were insane? Jesse dismissed that thought, since it only led to a whole new line of questions.</p><p>A body? Jesse considered it for a moment, but threw away that theory as well. From what he remembered of the brief glimpse he got of the face’s eyes, they didn’t have an empty, light-less look to them. If anything, thinking back on it now, Jesse could have sworn those eyes had stared up at him curiously, as though he had been some strange animal. Then there had been those splashing noises. Dead bodies didn’t splash around, unless they were thrown into the water, but there had been no cliff overlooking that section of the beach.</p><p>Right before Jesse fell asleep, one last word flashed in his mind.</p><p>Mermaid*.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Jesse tried to laugh it off when he woke up hours later at eleven, but the thought that the face might have belonged to a mermaid wouldn’t leave him alone. He kept going back and forth with himself. One side insisted that mermaids didn’t exist outside of colorful, animated kids’ movies, while the other side kept asking “what if?” Such debates kept Jesse awake for the next three nights, until he became so frustrated that he finally decided to go on the wild goose chase. At the very least, going back to search for the supposed mermaid would help get the “mermaid fever” (as Jesse called it) out of his system.</p><p>It took a lot of persuasion to get Gabe and Jack to allow him to go to the beach alone after the suicide attempt he pulled, but after promising to be back home no later than seven-thirty and to answer all their calls and texts promptly, they finally came to an agreement. Between physical therapy sessions with a man named Baptiste* and appointments with Dr. Ziegler, Jesse spent most of his free time at the beach, walking up and down the shore for hours, but for a whole week he returned home every night without even catching a glimpse of the end of a fish tail. Tourist season hadn’t begun yet, so the beach hadn’t been packed, but it didn’t seem to have mattered.</p><p>Despite knowing from the beginning of how his search was like chasing after a ghost, which may or may not be there, Jesse still felt a twinge of disappointment. However, it got him wondering if the beach had a more secluded section somewhere.</p><p>Jesse searched the length of the beach the next day, until he came across a small cove toward the far end, which curved around the base of a cliff. A large, jagged rock jutted out from the edge of the sand and towards the ocean, while a smaller rock poked up from the blue water. Jesse was the only person present at the moment, but the cove seemed promising. Not only was it sheltered by a cliff, but since it was such a long walk from the main beach, the distance deterred large crowds from gathering. Even he had never walked this far down, despite having lived in the coastal town since he was adopted.</p><p>He would have stayed at the cove longer, but he didn’t have a better idea in mind other than to sit on the sand and wait for something to happen, so he returned home early to think about the next stage of his plan.</p><p>“Why have you been going to the beach more often anyway?” Olivia asked him later that night while leaning against his bedroom doorway. “Looking for buried treasure or something?”</p><p>“No,” Jesse huffed. He’d been lying on his bed, listening to music before she appeared, but he already had an answer prepared since he predicted his family might become curious.</p><p>“The beach is within walking distance an’ it’s summer, so might as well take advantage of it, right?” he continued without missing a beat, shrugging. “’Sides, it was damn depressin’ when I used to just sit around an’ mope,” he added, which wasn’t a lie.</p><p>When Jesse had first been discharged from the hospital, he had isolated himself in his room and only emerged for meals due to Jack and Gabe refusing his desire to eat alone. But even when he’d been forced to sit at the table with everyone else, Jesse had shot down attempts of conversation with him by using short or vague answers.</p><p>Olivia hummed and nodded.</p><p>“You do look better than you did back then. Dad and Papá are relieved too,” she acknowledged before covering up a yawn with one hand while stretching out her other arm.</p><p>“Whatever makes you happy. Goodnight, Jesse,” she added, waving her hand as she left.</p><p>While Jesse felt that Olivia was genuinely glad to see an improvement in his mood, he still caught a glimpse of lingering suspicion in her eyes before she turned around. Olivia was laid back, but she was also very perceptive when she wanted to be. Gabe and Jack were pretty sharp themselves, but on occasion, Olivia could be onto something before either of them were. It had been annoying to grow up with when they were kids, but irritation aside, she was still his sister. Jesse just made a mental note to stay on his toes around Olivia. He was surprised that she didn't stick around longer to try and pick his mind.</p><p>Of course, he could just tell her outright that he was looking for a mermaid, because he thought he saw its face during the storm. She probably wouldn’t believe him anyway and only poke fun at him, but no. Jesse wasn’t in the mood to be teased or booped on the nose.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Jesse did not have physical therapy scheduled the next day, so he was free to head to the cove as soon as he finished breakfast, which happened to be Gabe’s <em>heavenly</em> chorizo with tortillas.</p><p>He still wasn’t sure how to get a mermaid to come to him. He thought about bringing some fish as an offering, until he quickly told himself that was stupid since the ocean was already full of them. He would have brought different types of food, but he didn’t have the faintest clue if a mermaid would (let alone could) eat something other than seafood, plus it might have looked too suspicious to his family, especially Olivia, if he packed a smorgasbord of things from their fridge and pantry into his backpack.</p><p>What Jesse did have was his old harmonica. He hadn’t played it since the accident and was still waiting for his new prosthetic arm to come in, but he didn’t have any brighter ideas. At least it would help kill time. Jesse just hoped that his rusty playing wouldn’t drive the mermaid away. He found a spot in the shade provided by the cliff, laid out his beach towel, and sat on it cross-legged before pulling out the harmonica from his bag. He wasn’t used to playing with one hand and his music was disjointed instead of flowing smoothly, but it wasn’t <em>terrible</em>. It actually felt kind of nice to shake off the cobwebs from his musical abilities.</p><p>Jesse played every song he could remember being able to recreate with the harmonica. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, but he immediately stopped when he heard a small splash. His gaze flew up to the water’s glimmering surface, harmonica still touching his lips.</p><p>There were ripples in the water.</p><p>Jesse’s heart pounded in his chest so hard that his hand trembled, making the harmonica shiver against him. He saw bubbles next and held his breath.</p><p>Slowly, a human-shaped head emerged from the water. The way Jesse was able to tell that it wasn’t a human swimmer who just happened to be passing by were the blue, fanning fins along the sides of its head in place of ears, and there were blue scales mixed with the human like skin on its face, glinting faintly in the sunlight. The mermaid had long black hair, and Jesse realized—it hadn’t been dark seaweed surrounding the face he saw during the storm, but dark flowing hair!</p><p>“Holy shit…” breathed Jesse, easing his harmonica down onto the towel. He even took off his cowboy hat and held it to his chest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*Mermaid: Jesse assumes it's a female just because that's how they're usually depicted, but he's going to find out soon that Hanzo is actually a merman.</p><p>*Baptiste was a last-minute, mentioned background character I decided to add because why not? I simply liked the idea of him being Jesse's PT.</p><p>Now that this hurdle's been cleared, I hope to have the third chapter up within a week or two as well.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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